The present teachings are predicated upon providing an improved pad dip for use in a disc brake system for use with vehicles. For example, the disc brake system may be used with almost any vehicle (e.g. car, truck, bus, train, airplane, or the like). Alternatively, the disc brake system may be integrated into assemblies used for manufacturing or other equipment that require a brake such as a lathe, winder for paper products or cloth, amusement park rides, wind turbines, or the like. However, the present teachings are most suitable for use with a passenger vehicle (e.g., a car, truck, sports utility vehicle, or the like).
Generally, a braking system includes a rotor, a caliper body, a support bracket, an inboard brake pad, and an outboard brake pad that are on opposing sides of the rotor. The caliper body further includes one or more fingers (with or without a piston), one or more piston bores, and a bridge that connects the one or more fingers to the piston bore or two opposing piston bores together. The piston bore houses a piston. The piston bore has a bore axis that the piston moves along during a brake apply and a brake retract. The piston bore may include a fluid inlet, a closed wall, a front opening, and a cylindrical side wall that includes a seal groove located near the front opening. Typically, the fluid inlet is located in the closed wall of the piston bore so that when pressure is applied the fluid will flow into the piston bore. During a pressure apply the fluid will push the piston towards the front opening and into contact with a brake pad that generally includes a pressure plate and friction material and the friction material will contact the rotor on one side and an opposing brake pad will contact the rotor on an opposing side creating friction to stop rotation of the rotor and any component connected to the brake system. The brake pads may slide on an abutment along an axis of the pistons or the brake pads may include holes that receive pins and the brake pads may slide on pins that extend through the brake system so that a friction force may be created. During non-braking conditions (i.e., running) the brake pads may move within the brake system and contact other components of the brake system such as a support bracket causing a rattling noise that may be heard by a user and/or an occupant of a vehicle.
In these non-braking conditions when the brake system is moving the brake system experiences forces that may move one or more components of the brake system into contact creating a rattling noise that may be audible by a user, an occupant, or both. These noises when heard by a user may be irritating, may cause concern to a user, or both. Further, this may cause a user to request the manufacturer to spend time and money troubleshooting the noise which may result in repairs and/or replacement of parts. Therefore, it is desirable to have a brake system that does not produce audible noises during movement of the brake system, use, or both.
Examples of braking systems and associated pad clips are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,003,642 and 6,527,090; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0120821; and U.S. International Application Publication No. WO2010/005008 all of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. It would be attractive to have a brake system that is free of audible rattling during running, non-braking conditions, or both. What is needed is a device that substantially prevents the brake pads from contacting the support bracket and creating audible noises. What is needed is a device that prevents radial contact between the support bracket and brake pads. What is needed is one or more features of a pad clip that prevent movement of the brake pads radially and/or reduce the force of movement of the brake pads so that the brake pads stop moving before the brake pads contact the support bracket.